The Gem In His Eye
by MrMelonNinja
Summary: After Stanley activates the portal and succesfully brings back the author, Bill Cipher is caught in the crossfire and ends up transported to Beach City.
1. Chapter 1 - Not What He Seemed

"Gah, let me go!" shouted Dipper, struggling to free himself of the grasp of his great uncle Stanford while attempting to prevent the older man from reaching his sister. "Mabel, press the red button! Shut it down!" he commanded, seconds before getting pushed down by Stan as he still struggled to maintain the little balance he had in mid-air with Soos still attached to him.

"No, you can't! You gotta trust me!" pleaded Stan, worry in his voice.

"Grunkle Stan, I-I don't even know… if you're my grunkle…" spoke the sobbing voice of Mabel, tears forming in her eyes before floating up to the ceiling as everybody stopped their fighting. "I wanna believe you, but…"

"Then listen to me!" begged Stan. "Remember this morning when I wanted to tell you guys something?"

 _ **T-minus twenty seconds.**_

Dipper, Stan and Soos let out a short scream as another outburst from the portal activated, briefly illuminating the room with a white light as the explosion pushed the three of them against the wall, Mabel holding on to the button's stand for dear life. She looked in worry as she noted the several grunts and moans they emitted, tightening her fist as she prepared the slam the button off.

 _Bill observed the whole scene. Out of the many eons he had been around for, for once he was actually nervous. 'I can't let those kids activate the portal! Everything I've worked for will be destroyed!' he thought to himself, staring at the portal. 'Why are they releasing_ Him _? With_ Him _back, the circle will be complete! I'll be trapped forever thanks to these brats!'_

"I wanted to say that you're gonna hear some bad things about me," Stan carried on, fast enough to stop Mabel from pressing the button. "and some of them are true. But trust me, everything I've worked for, everything I care about, it's all for this family!"

Dipper grit his teeth. "Mabel, what if he's lying?! This thing could destroy the universe! Listen to your head!"

"Look into my eyes, Mabel!" Stan continued, completely ignoring Dipper as Mabel returned her gaze to her great uncle, the light glimmering in her tearful brown eyes. "You really think I'm a bad guy?" he asked.

"He's lying! Shut it down, _now_!" screamed Dipper, his voice cracking as his birth mark was visible on his forehead, his brown hair blowing with the wind coming from the portal.

"Mabel, please!" Stan begged, as Mabel glanced at both her great uncle and her twin brother, fear stabbing her heart as to who to trust and who to fail, the choices rushing through her head as she tried to brainstorm the best option.

 _ **Ten. Nine.**_

 _This is it. Bill needed to take action and he needed to take it_ now _. 'Wait,' he stopped himself for a minute, pondering over ideas. 'This is the perfetc moment to attack!' he said, letting out a cackle. The Pines family was getting separated, it would too easy of a task to quickly convince Pine Tree to make a deal with him!_

The portal emitted a spark, readying for another outburst as Mabel clenched her eyes shut, slowly moving her hand towards the button before opening them, glancing at Stanford's saddened expression, as the female knew what she had to do.

"Grunkle Stan…"

 _ **Six. Five.**_

Mabel released both hands from the stand, letting herself float along with everything else in the room as she closed her eyes. "…I trust you."

Dipper's eyes widened in disbelief, shock, and confusion all at the same time. "Mabel, are you crazy?! We're all gonna-"

 _ **One.**_

 _Bill's eye widened, taking action straight away. With the click of his fingers, the world around the Pines darkened, turning into a grayscale filter as Cipher made his entrance._

"Bill?!" Dipper exclaimed, his eyes widening even further as he stared at the dream demon.

"Look, kid, there's no time," he said, extending his arm as his hand set into a burst of blue flames. "you just gotta-"

The portal's light suddenly returned, Bill's flames extinguishing as the mindscape was erased, the portal replacing any darkness in the room as Dipper, Mabel, Stan, Soos, and even Bill himself let out a scream as the intense lighting covered the entire room, knocking the humans unconscious.

"No, no, no!" screamed Bill. "I was too late! They've won!" he shouted, feeling the energy in his form quickly vanishing as he lost any will to fight back, his eye closing slowly as the world seemed to spin. Cipher attempted to open his eye, an act that caused him great pain, as he spotted a shadowy figure quickly pass him. Bill's eye quickly closed again, the dream demon picking up almost inaudible voices before falling unconscious.

"W-Who… is that?"

"It's the author of the journals. My brother."

?!

When Bill came too, his eye opened droopily as he slowly got on his feet, dusting himself off and straightening his bow tie. He observed the scene around him, noticing that the world was still a lifeless gray color.

' _Good.'_ He thought. _'I'm still in the mindscape.'_

Bill levitated in mid-air, his left hand positioned as if he were scratching his chin. The dream demon noted that he appeared to be in some sort of beach, the gray waves splashing against the sand as several seagulls dominated the sky above him.

Was this were the author was banished? Was he even remotely close to Gravity Falls? _Where_ was he was actually a better question, he decided.

The locals seemed to appear human, or at least huma _noid_ in some cases, so he was definitely still on Earth. None of the humans seemed particularly odd or abnormal, save for a certain one that reminded him of an onion. Flying around the beach, passing the many houses, shops, and restaurants, Bill finally found a sign.

 _ **Welcome to Beach City!**_

Bill blinked. _Beach City?_ What an original name for a beach. With a snap of his fingers, the dream demon would teleport every so often to observe his surroundings, occasionally stopping to ponder how Stanford's portal was connected to this place. After several minutes of exploring, Bill concluded that _'Beach City_ ' was, while far from small, only slightly bigger than Gravity Falls. Though that was to be expected, seeing as Gravity Falls was a town while Beach City was, well, a city.

' _What country is this?_ '

Gathering all of the knowledge of the distinct places he had been in, Bill was convinced that wherever he was currently stranded in was located somewhere on the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula in the eastern United States. Seeing as how Gravity Falls was situated in Eastern Oregon in the U.S. state of Oregon, Bill sighed to himself.

Cipher made his way to the beach, watching as the waves would almost reach him as it brushed against the shore. Not that it mattered if it _did_ touch him, however, seeing as how he currently couldn't physically interact with the environment while in the mindscape.

"See you later, Connie!"

Bill immediately perked up, looking in the direction the voice came from. The dream demon stopped to ponder as he realised that, during the several minutes he had been here, he had heard nobody talk. Cipher floated atop the ground, his eye picking up the sight of a slightly tubby male with dark brown frizzy hair currently happily skipping along. He was clad in a short sleeved shirt that was colored red with a yellow star in the middle, as well as blue jeans and a pair of faint red sandals.

The dream demon's eye widened. _Could it be?_

 _The star. The happy-go-lucky view of life. The way his eyes would light up upon greeting someone. Everything._

 _Everything_ about this child reminded him of _his_ Shooting Star. Were they related? No, that can't be right, he would of heard Stanford or one of the twins mention him. Besides, what was he doing here? Bill needed answers.

?!

Steven smiled widely as he made his way home. This Monday was currently off to a good start! Meeting up with Connie, going to the movies, walking her home, and now he could just hang with the Crystal Gems and join them on some kind of mission he was sure they'd have.

Steven stopped in his tracks as the wind significantly picked up, blowing his hair as the young male stepped back a little, watching as the city around him slowly turned gray. Before he could ask questions or even run, the world seemed to slow down time until finally pausing it, though Steven himself was seemingly unaffected. He gave a few worried glances at his surroundings, before deciding he _had_ to go back and check on Connie. What if she was hurt?

Steven turned around, ready to run, but a glimpse of light found its way peeking into the corner of his eye, enough to make the boy turn around and straighten up. Steven was both amazed _and_ confused as a circle appeared in front of him with a burst of light, before several cyan pieces came flying towards it to finally form a triangle. Steven reached towards it, though instantly retracted his hand as the triangle emitted another burst of light, revealing to be a now yellow triangle with two arms and legs, a snappy bow tie and top hat, and most noticeably, a single white eye in the middle with a slit black pupil.

"Well, well, well! Nice place 'ya got here, kid! Really… hmm, what's the word?" the triangle stopped as he furrowed his brow and narrowed his eye, pretending to think. "Oh yeah, really boring and unoriginal!" he finished, giving an echoed laugh soon after.

Steven's eyes widened as he took another step back. "Whoa, who are you? _What_ are you?" he asked with mild curiosity.

The triangle gave another laugh as he circled around the boy, causing him much discomfort. "The name's Bill Cipher!" he replied, before once again situating himself in front of the child. "What about you, kid?"

Steven nodded slightly, smiling. "I'm Steven Universe!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air as Bill narrowed his eye. "I haven't seen you around here before! Where are you from?" he asked, his smile never falling.

Bill gave a small nod in return, disturbingly crinkling his eye to imitate what would assume to be a smile. "Oh, I come from _lots_ of places."

"Cool!" Steven responded, catching the demon off guard. "In any case, welcome to Beach City! I hope you enjoy your stay here, Bill!"

Bill would have cocked an eyebrow. _Why is this useless meatbag so happy? He's got enthusiasm to spare, outshining Shooting Star by a landslide. Why isn't he scared of me like that Gideon kid was or any other fleshstick?_

"Yeah, sure, you enjoy your stay too, kid." Bill dismissed with a wave of his hand, rolling his eye.

Steven's eyes beamed as an idea occurred in his mind. "Hey, I could show you my family!"

' _Oh boy'._

"Well, they're not really my family, except for my dad." Steven continued, having to think about his relation with the Gems. "They're more like… guardians? I'm not sure, but they act all motherly! Except for Amethyst, she's kind of like a big sister." He finished, resting his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Oh, I would _love_ to meet your family, kiddo!" Bill replied all too happily, extending his arm so he could rest it on Steven's shoulder.

"Really?!" Steven asked ecstatically, mentally celebrating as he stared on at the triangle. "That's great! The Gems would love to meet you!"

Bill cock an eyebrow. "The _Gems?_ " he asked, with a tiny hint of interest.

Steven nodded reassuringly. "Yeah, the Crystal Gems! We're a bunch of heroes sent to protect Earth from Homeworld Gems! It's complicated, I guess. You'll have to get Pearl to explain things." Steven said, but continued faster than Bill could interrupt. "But then you'll get her in a boring lecture, so you could just ask Amethyst! Her stories are always fun!"

Bill narrowed his eye at the boy, crossing his arms behind his back. "Heroes sent to protect Earth?" the triangle asked, though it was more of a question to himself. "Y'know, what, kid? You've got my interest! How's about I pop in for a visit first thing tomorrow, huh?" he asked, floating closer to Steven.

Steven's eyes beamed in excitement. "I'll look forward to it! Oh, you're gonna love them! Pearl is so agile and elegant, and Garnet is so chilled and supportive, and-"

"Yes, yes, yes, I'm sure your _family_ are lovely!" Bill spouted quickly, successfully shutting Steven up. The dream demon checked his wrist, gazing at his wrist watch he suddenly had on. "Oh, well, would 'ya look at the time?" he asked, despite the fact that the clocks weren't moving at all. "I have to be off. Important business with the locals, you get me?"

Steven frowned, but nodded in understanding nonetheless. "Aw, alright. I'll see you tomorrow, Bill!" he said, with a wave of his hand.

Bill nodded, taking his cue to unpause time as he took the exit out of Steven's mind. "See 'ya in your nightmares, kid!" he exclaimed happily, tipping his top hat as he vanished with a burst of light, color returning to the world as Steven suddenly opened his eyes, rubbing them tiredly as he shook his head.

"What a nice guy!" he exclaimed, making his way back to the Gems.


	2. Chapter 2 - First Impressions

Steven could barely sleep as he lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling as he twiddled his thumbs. As much as he wanted to get as much sleep as possible for the big day tomorrow, the guy just couldn't stay still for too long. He had tried _everything_. Pearl's advice of counting sheep, Amethyst's advice in watching as much television as he could before dozing off, and even Garnet's advice consisting of simply closing your eyes for a prolonged period of time. Steven let out a sigh, turning to his side as he gazed outside of his window. The night was still, the wind non-existent and the waves peaceful and calm. The residents of Beach City ranging from the hard-working humans to the ever persistent seagulls in the sky resting for the night. Everyone was asleep. Except for him.

"Well, technically the Gems aren't asleep either since they don't need to be." He said, before gritting his teeth as clenching his fists. "Ah, great, I've started talking to myself again."

Bill observed him from outside the window, sitting peacefully on the porch as he chuckled to himself. "Even this kid talks to himself. Not even _Shining_ Star (yes, Bill refused to call the majority of people by their names) can escape the grasp of insanity." He said, letting out a laugh.

Cipher watched the moon carefully settle ever so slowly. As a creature of eons years old, watching the sun set and the moon raise and vice-versa had become quite a boring hobby, yet the dream demon couldn't help himself from time to time. Believe it or not, Cipher was quite excited to meet Shining Star's 'family', as he could once again return to bugging and annoying people. Though none could ever replace Pine Tree, however. That kid was too easy to tease.

Steven made his way down to the living room, slumping on the couch as he stared at the clock, counting down the hours that remained until the Gems would usually exit the temple. The boy felt his eyes droop, yawning quietly as he never noticed how comfy the cushions were. With one final glance at the clock, Steven's eyes eventually shut, and the boy fell asleep with a smile.

?!

 _Steven narrowed his eyes as the world went gray. It had reminded him of when he had first met Bill. Wait… Bill. Is this it? Is this the 'first thing in the morning'?_

" _Bill! Biiiill!" Steven shouted, placing his mouth inbetween his hands in order to make his voice louder. "Where are you, Bill?" he asked, giving small glances around him._

" _Right here, Shining Star!" came an echoed voice as the dream demon materialized in front of him, the triangle extending his arms in happiness._

" _Bill! You're here!" Steven exclaimed, taking a step closer to the demon._

 _Bill let out a small laugh. "Haha, you bet I am!" he replied as he gave a small wave. "But this isn't our 'family' reunion, I'm afraid."_

 _Steven frowned. "Aw, but I stayed up so late! C'mon. I bet I can open the temple with my gem and we can go find them!" the boy said, rushing over to the door to the temple as he began to lift his shirt slightly, showing the pink gemstone. Steven stopped in his tracks as three other Bills materialized in front of the door, blocking his path as they extended their arms and pushed him back._

" _No can do, Shining Star!" they all said simultaneously, before vanishing as the original Bill snapped his fingers. "Only you can see me right now, seeing as how time's been paused, pal. Your friends are all frozen for the time being!"_

 _Steven took a step back, shaking his head. "W-What? What's happened to them? Are they okay?!"_

 _Bill narrowed his eye. "Yeesh, kid, relax!" he said, raising submissive hands. "I just came for a quick visit, and as soon as I'm gone, everything'll go back to normal!"_

 _Steven nodded as he was reassured, gaining his composure as he wiped a tear from his eye. "O-Okay, if you say so. So why'd you come for a visit, anyway?" he asked, staring at the triangle._

 _Bill shrugged. "Oh, I just came here to catch up on things! How's about you tell me some stuff about your family? They sound pretty special to me!" he exclaimed, trying his hardest not to roll his eye._

 _Steven's eyes sparkled as he smiled widely. "Oh, trust me, they are! I'll tell you all about them!" he said, pausing as Bill gave a nod, encouraging him to continue. "Well, me, Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst are the Crystal Gems, which I think I told you were sent here to protect the planet from Homeworld Gems! Gems are kind of magical rock people that can gain a human-y appearance, and they all have these super cool powers! We can shapeshift, fuse, and even summon weapons from the gems that are on our bodies!" he said, lifting his shirt up to once again reveal his own gemstone. "Well, I can't. I'm still learning."_

 _Bill was mildly interested, taking a spot on the couch as he rest his arms behind his back. "Interesting! So these 'Homeworld Gems' are evil, huh?" he asked, gaining him a nod from Steven. "Right, and you and your little squadron of rocks are there to stop them from destroying Earth…" he continued, his sentence growing ever so quiet as he pondered whether or not his plan back in Gravity Falls would indeed work with these 'Crystal Gems' around. He'd have to do something about that. "Tell me some things about your family, Shining Star!" he said, urging Steven to continue his explanation._

" _Well, Pearl is really majestic, and kind, and she has this thing called 'OCD' that Garnet told me about, but I can't remember what it stands for. I think the 'D' stands for 'disorder', but I'm not sure. Basically she has to keep things neat and tidy all the time!"_

 _Bill nodded as he smiled to himself. 'Weakness number one.' E thought to himself as he resisted a laugh._

" _She's really motherly, and had a super strong bond with my mom!" Steven said, before slapping his forehead. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you about mom! She was like, the Crystal Gems' leader! Her name was Rose Quartz. She was really respected, but the Homeworld Gems hated her for some reason. Then she met my dad, Greg, and they loved eachother! But when she was pregnant, she had to give up her physical form to give birth to me. So my gemstone is technically hers, as well!"_

 _Bill once again nodded. 'So Shining Star doesn't have a mother…' he cackled. 'Weakness number two.'_

" _Garnet isn't as motherly as Pearl is, but she still loves me just as much! She's a fusion of Ruby and Sapphire, which are two other Gems. Fusions usually only last for a while or when the two fused Gems get tired, but Ruby and Sapphire must love eachoher so much that they never unfuse!" He exclaimed. "Garnet's really good at fighting as is really tough, which is Ruby's personality, and her emotional and loving side comes from Sapphire!"_

 _Bill pondered for a while. 'This Garnet girl doesn't seem to have a weakness other than being a fusion of two other rocks. I'll have to work on that.'_

" _And then there's Amethyst, who came from the kindergarten, which is a plac where evil Gems were made or something. The others won't tell me about it that much, and Amethyst seems to hate bringing it up because she feels bad about it."_

 _Bill had successfully found his easiest victim._

" _But other than that, she's pretty wild and fun loving, and she's just like a big sister! Maybe it's because while Pearl and Garnet were like sisters to my mom, Amethyst was like her daughter!"_

 _Bill nodded, floating atop the couch as he fixed his top hat. "Interesting. Your family seems fun! Say, it looks like I'm gonna have to go now. I'll see 'ya in a few hours, kid!" he saluted, spreading his arms as his body darkened before vanishing into thin air._

" _See you later, Bill!" Steven waved, watching the demon disappear._

?!

As the world regained its color, Steven awoke with a yawn as he stretched his arms. Steven jumped off the couch as he made his way to the window, noticing the chirping of birds and the brighter setting outside.

With a flash of white light, one of the gems in the star located on the door to the temple activated, before the door split in half and Pearl made her way out. "Oh, good morning, Steven." She said with a smile, giving a small wave. "It's abnormal for you to be up so early. You must have had a good night's sleep."

Steven grinned a toothy grin as he made his way over to the door, giving Pearl a hug. Pearl gave an odd expression, before awkwardly returning the gesture as she wrapped his arms around his waist, a light blue blush on her face. "Good morning, Pearl! I guess I did." He said confidently, despite the fact that he had spent several hours awake. "When are Garnet and Amethyst coming?"

Pearl released him, watching him take a few steps back. "Hmm, I'm not sure, Steven. Garnet will probably be out in a few minutes, and Amethyst will be out as soon as somebody mentions breakfast." She said.

"Did somebody say breakfast?!" asked another voice, emerging from the temple with a purple light.

Pearl rolled her eyes. "Told you." She mumbled.

"Hey, Amethyst!" Steven greeted. "Oh! I forgot about breakfast. Give me a sec." he said, rushing over to the kitchen as he prepared to make them breakfast.

A flash of both red and blue lights came from the temple, the door splitting in half as Garnet made her entrance. "Good morning, Steven." She smiled.

"'Morning, Garnet!" Steven called back, finally pouring the cereal into the final bowl. "Here, you guys! Breakfast is served!" he announced, making his way over to the table where he carefully tried to balance five bowls of cereal and milk without tipping them over, succeeding as he put them on the wooden table.

Despite the Gems not needing to eat at all (as well as Pearl's hatred of even _imagining_ eating food), all three of them took a seat around the table as they stared at the bowls.

"Steven, you _do_ know we don't need to eat, right?" Amethyst asked, an unamused eyebrow raised. Before Steven could respond, Pearl announced another question.

"Forget that. Steven, why are there _five_ bowls of… whatever this mush is on the table?" Pearl asked, cringing at the bowl of cereal.

Steven smiled widely. "Oh, man, I'm so excited! We have a visitor!" he exclaimed, raising his arms in excitement as he almost knocked his bowl over.

"A visitor?" Garnet asked, placing her arms on the table.

Steven nodded with a 'mmhm'. "His name is Bill Cipher! He's this yellow triangle guy, and he's really funny and interesting! He's all magical and stuff, and said he wanted to meet all of you! It's like we were destined to meet!"

Pearl shared worried glances with the rest of the Gems. "A… a yellow triangle, you say?" Pearl asked sceptically. "I'm not so sure about this, Steven. What have we told you about talking to strangers that _aren't_ human?"

Amethyst nodded. "For once, I'm agreeing with Pearl. What if this triangle guy's up to no good?" she asked.

"Hey, you guys are talking about me, I presume!" came an echoed voice followed by a disturbing laugh, and with a burst of blue flames, the world around the Gems lost its color as Bill appeared, legs crossed and eye closed.

The Gems immediately jumped back from the table, glancing at the triangle as their eyes widened.

"Bill!" Steven exclaimed, raising his hand towards the demon.

"Hey there, Shining Star!" Cipher happily greeted back, opening his eye as he high fived the boy.

Garnet snarled as Pearl pointed at the dream demon, who only looked back in curiosity. "Steven, is _this_ who you were talking about?" she asked, earning a nod from him.

"Ah, Shining Star's family, we meet at last!" Cipher exclaimed, narrowing his eye at the three. "Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet." He named, catching all of them off guard.

"Steven, we can't trust this thing." Garnet said, once again in her calm tone, as the other two Gems nodded in agreement.

"Aww, come on guys! Bill and I are quite good friends! He wouldn't hurt anybody!" Steven whined, frowning at them.

' _Ah, just like Stanley.' Bill snickered._

"Steven, he appeared out of a puff of fire!" Amethyst shouted, causing Bill to glare at her.

"Excuse me, Purple, but dramatic entrances are my thing." Cipher pointed out, crossing his arms as he closed his eye in disappointment. "Just like how constantly crying about your birth is _your_ thing!" he snickered.

Amethyst's eyes widened as she grit her teeth, her gemstone glowing as she summoned her whip. "How'd you know about that?!" she screamed, raising her whip as she threatened to use it.

Bill shrugged. "Oh, Shining Star over here told me." He responded calmly, pointing to Steven with an extended hand.

"Steven! Why would you tell him that?!" Amethyst snarled at the boy, already at the brink of tears.

"I-I just-"

"Steven, you can't just go and tell everybody about Gem history! Especially something as sensitive as this!" Pearl shouted, summoning her spear. "What if he was sent here by Peridot?!"

Bill blinked. "Oooh, _Peridot_? Is that another one of your 'family' members, Shining Star?" he asked Steven, looking at him with a rather uninterested eye.

Steven scoffed. "Oh, of course not! Peridot's one of the Homeworld Gems who has tried to destroy us!" he responded happily.

" _ **STEVEN!**_ "

"What?" he responded innocently. Bill refused the urge to laugh.

"Steven, we know you mean well, but not everyone in this world does." Garnet stated. "You should leave your friend alone and forget about him."

Bill couldn't resist as he laughed. "Haha, oh, _I_ should be _alone_? What was that about Red over 'ere being a fusion of your pals Ruby and Sapphire, Shining Star?"

Steven cringed nervously as Garnet glared at him, before fixing her gaze onto Cipher. "I'm sorry, Steven, but we're going to have to destroy him." She announced, her gems glowing as her gauntlets materialized over her hands.

"Oh, are we all summoning our weapons now?" Bill asked with fake curiosity, snapping his fingers as his cane appeared. "I can do that too! Look, I'm practically a _Crystal Gem_ already!" he said, tapping his cane on the side of his body as his bow tie was replaced by a yellow triangular gemstone. "Call me 'Pyrite Cipher'! Y'know, 'cause you're all named after stupid rocks! Haha!"

Pearl gasped and Amethyst grit her teeth, readying her whip as she unleashed it at the triangle. Bill watched it with no interest whatsoever as it wrapped around his leg. "Take this!" Amethyst cried, yanking him towards her with all her strength. She looked up however, as she realised she had only pulled his leg off with Cipher seeming to experience no pain at all.

"Oh, come on, Purple, what was that for?" Bill asked, snapping his fingers as a new leg popped out from his body where his old was used to be located.

"H-How are you doing this?!" Pearl asked, debating whether or not to use her weapon after all.

Bill shrugged. "I can do lots of things, Pearl. Like this!" he said, letting his cane float beside him as he reached for his top hat, tipping it over his head as the whole room was shaken, the Gems falling onto their sides as the room readjusted as Cipher put his hat back on. "Neat, huh?" he asked, watching as Pearl cringed at the now messy room as all of the house's ornaments were unorganised and spread across the floor.

"Enough!" Garnet cried, clenching her fists as she lunged towards the dream demon. Cipher rolled his eye as his body enlarged itself, seeming to absorb the Gem as he appeared to swallow her, his body shrinking down to its original size as he pulled out a watch, staring at the hands tick by for a few seconds before spitting her back out again.

With Garnet wondering why nothing would work, Amethyst sobbing over her past and Pearl busy reorganizing the room's items, Bill narrowed his eye as he floated down to Steven, who had been watching in awe from the other side of the room.

"Well, looks like you were right, Shining Star!" he said happily, causing Steven to shift uncomfortably. "Your family _is_ special!"

"Uh, thanks, Bill." Steven said quietly, managing a weak smile.

"Well, things got boring. I had a blast, though! I'll see 'ya tomorrow, kid!" he said, raising his top hat a little. Steven nodded as the triangle floated over to the Gems positions, eyeing them all carefully.

"Well it's been fun meeting all of you!" he announced, gaining all of their attention. "I'll probably stick around to hang with you guys!" he laughed, floating to the centre of the room.

"Remember, reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold, bye!" he saluted, forming a rift in reality as he appeared in a flash of white, the four witnesses opening their eyes as the color returned to the world and the sound of the seagulls chirping outside was once again heard.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Pearl noted, frowning as she examined the events that had just happened.


	3. Chapter 3 - Acquaintances

"Guys, guys, please!" Steven begged. "He's not bad, I swear! He just likes to play around with his powers and stuff!"

Pearl grit her teeth. " _Exactly,_ Steven. This 'Bill Cipher' person is a threat to Earth, the universe, and life as we know it!"

Garnet stood behind Steven, placing a hand on his left shoulder. "Pearl is right. You've got to believe us." She said calmly, earning a huff from the boy.

"Didn't you see how he made himself a Gem?" Amethyst asked, currently hanging upside down on the couch, her head against the floor. "It was kinda cool…" she mumbled.

"The worst thing is, we don't even know who he is, or what he is, or anything about him!" Pearl said, panicking as she dragged her fingers across her light orange hair. "Bill had nothing to do with the Gem War, and _nothing_ in the temple _or_ Beach City's local library says anything about him!"

Amethyst gave a shrug. "That means we'll just have to use brute force on him. He's tiny compared to us."

Garnet crossed her arms. "That did not end well last time."

Pearl groaned as she sat down on the couch, covering her face with the palms of her hands. "The only thing that I found that was even _similar_ to Bill was the 'Eye of Providence'." She stated, earning the curious looks of the other three Gems.

"Eye of Providons?" Steven asked, tilting his head as he raised his eyebrow.

"Providence." Pearl corrected, her Gem glowing as she displayed a hologram of a pyramid with one slot missing, appearing to be a triangle with a single eye on it. "It represents a mighty entity the humans call 'God' watching over all of humankind. It's also known as the 'All-Seeing Eye'." She finished, the hologram disappearing.

"That does look a lot like Bill." Steven added, placing his hands on his hips.

"Yes, well, while that's all find and dandy, we still don't know anything about Bill except from his resemblance to the Eye of Providence." Pearl sighed.

"We're just going to have to hope for the best." Garnet concluded, gazing outside the window as she frowned.

?!

Bill watched the Gems with a careful eye. "Haha, so the skinny one found the Eye of Providence, huh?" he asked aloud, resting his arms behind his back as he let out a laugh. "I gotta admit, these stupid rocks are smarter than they look!"

" _Steven! You can't just go and tell everybody about Gem history! Especially something as sensitive as this!" Pearl shouted, summoning her spear. "What if he was sent here by Peridot?!"_

 _Bill blinked. "Ooh,_ Peridot _? Is that another one of your 'family' members, Shining Star?" he asked Steven, looking at him with a rather uninterested eye._

"Now, though…" Bill thought, recalling the memory. "Now it doesn't seem so uninteresting…" he said, giving one final glare at the Crystal Gems before he vanished with the snap of his fingers.

?!

"Ugh, great, just great." Mumbled a voice. "First my robonoids, then my power source, and _then_ my ship. Those stupid Crystal Gems keep getting in the way!" she screamed, slamming her fist on the side on a fence, before letting out a sigh.

Her three fingers and thumb, unattached from her body, levitated in front of her as they formed a cracked holographic screen, her index finger sliding across the pages of it as it tapped accordingly to various applications.

"This is Peridot. I repeat, this is Peridot. I've been stranded on Planet Earth due to the actions of the Crystal Gems. My shop has been destroyed and Jasper and Lapis Lazuli, as well as the Crystal Gems' where-abouts are currently unknown. Requesting backup from Homeworld. Peridot, out." She finished, though she frowned as her screen performed a glitch, unable to fulfil the task as the Gem was left without her message getting through.

Peridot slumped over on the grass, hugging her legs as she took a break from walking, pinching the bridge of her nose as he tried to think of what to do. She was stranded without any of her robonoids so they were unable to fix her screen and send help, and even if she _did_ in fact reach the kindergarten, her machines were destroyed by the Crystal Gems so it would be a complete waste of time. With another sigh, Peridot slowly got up as she ultimately decided to visit the kindergarten anyway.

Peridot noted that the atmosphere was getting colder and colder, observing the grass turning to a lighter color as she attempted to ignore the sensation of someone watching her off with a shrug, the chilled air sending shivers up her spine as she gazed down at the floor, raising an eyebrow as the green grass had now turned a pale gray. Upon returning her gaze to her surroundings, she noticed that so had the rest of the environment.

"Hey, maybe I can help you!" sounded an echoed voice, followed by a louder laugh.

Peridot's eyes widened behind her visor as she took a step back, gritting her teeth as she failed to see anybody else in clear view. "W-Who's there?! Show yourself, coward!"

A brighter gray colored door appeared in front of her, opening by itself as Bill emerged from it, closing and disappearing once he had stepped out and floated up to her.

"Hello Yellow~!" he greeted, crinkling his eye to form a smile as he tipped his top hat.

Peridot clenched her fist and bit her tongue to prevent her from screaming, appearing to have bit too hard as the iron taste of blood filled her mouth as the Gem tried to ignore the sensation. "W-Who are you?" she asked, taking another step back.

"The name's Bill Cipher! Nice hair 'ya got, by the by." He said with an amused tone, noticing the triangular form of the Gem's hair. "Looks like somebody got inspired!" he continued, closing his eye as he straightened his bow tie.

"What are you?!" She questioned, her tone extremely loud as she shot him a glare.

"I can be lots of things. Like a star, or a tree, or a figment of your imagination, or even _you,_ Peridot." He said, snapping his fingers as he took the form of the Gem in front of him, only appearing to have one eye instead of two under his visor as every green part of Peridot's outfit as well as her skin was replaced by a vibrant yellow.

"How did you do that?!" Peridot asked. _So many questions, but this thing isn't giving any direct answers!_ "And how do you know my name?!"

Bill narrowed his eye as he reverted back to his original triangular form, circling around her with ease. "You were just referring to yourself in third person a while ago, my dear." He answered, finally stopping in front of her as his cane materialized in his hands.

"R-Right…" Peridot mumbled, looking at the floor as a light green blush crept its way onto her cheeks in embarrassment.

"That's not _how_ I learned your name though, I'm afraid." He continued, yawning ever so slightly.

Peridot's attention was now once again on him, her green eyes meeting his black colored one. "How _did_ you find out then?"

Bill let out a chuckle. "You ask too many questions. I just know _lots_ of things, and your lovely name just happens to be one of them, Peridot."

Peridot shook her head. "Just give me a damn answer!" She commanded, catching the dream demon off guard with her impatience.

"Hmm, your pretty feisty, Peridot. I like it!" he exclaimed happily, causing the Gem to raise an eyebrow. "Say, I saw that you have a little… _problem_ with your device, and it's aaaaall because of those bad Cwystal Gems." Bill pouted, earning a glare from the Gem.

"So? What's it to _you,_ anyway?" she asked.

"Because, like I said earlier, I can help!" he exclaimed, tipping his top hat as a flask robonoid emerged from it, tipping over on the floor before walking over to Peridot. "See?"

Peridot's eyes widened, staring at the robonoid. "You… You _want_ to help me?"

Bill rolled his eye. "Yeah, yeah, sure. I'd _love_ to help you." He dismissed.

Peridot was left speechless, summoning her screen as she watched in awe as the robonoid repaired it. "T-Thanks, Bill." She nervously said.

Bill nodded. "Sure. Anytime. Now you can call for help, fix 'ya stuff, extract revenge on the Crystal Gems, blah, blah, blah, etcetera etcetera. " he shrugged. "In return, _you_ can help me with something _I've_ been working on." He said, placing his hands on his hips.

Peridot winced. "Like what?"

Bill narrowed his eye. "Look, I've got unfinished business with some kids and their uncle back where I come from. You help me, I help you. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Peridot raised an eyebrow. " _You_ hate the Crystal Gems too?"

Bill gave another shrug. "Yeah, totally." He said, resisting the urge to roll his eye. "Look, we got a deal or not?" he asked, extending his arm as his hand was surrounded by a puff of blue flames.

Peridot hesitated, but once she reconsidered the whole thing, reached out with her arm and shook his hand. "Deal."

Bill smiled widely, retracting his hand as the blue flames extinguished. "Excellent! Business starts tomorrow! I'll see 'ya then, Peridot!" he saluted, not even giving the Gem any time to return the gesture as he disappeared with a bright light.

Peridot's eyes opened, as she looked at her surroundings. "Was… Was that a dream?" she asked herself, looking at the now once again green grass below her. She noticed the flask robonoid next to her, and once she activated her screen, she smiled widely.

"It worked!"

?!

 _Amethyst hummed to herself softly as she opened the fridge, silently grabbing as much food was she unnecessarily could. "Man, not needing to at sure makes you hungry." She mumbled, turning around and kicking the fridge door shut with her foot._

 _Amethyst turned around, her eye's widening. She was in… kindergarten. She immediately dropped her food, the items disappearing and clipping through the floor upon impact as she gazed at her surroundings._

" _H-How did I get here?" she asked herself, squinting as she spotted three figures in the distance. "P-Pearl? Garnet? Steven?" she asked, running with all her might to try and catch up to them. "Wait! Guys! What are we doing here?!" she screamed._

 _The three Gems stopped in their tracks, turning around as they gazed at Amethyst, who had skidded to a halt in front of them._

" _Amethyst, don't follow us." Pearl remarked, glaring at her with her light blue eyes._

" _W-What?"_

 _Steven looked at Pearl, who nodded, as he too looked at the purple Gem. "Amethyst, we've already told you. We don't want you around anymore." He said quietly._

 _Amethyst's eyes widened even further as tears formed in her eyes. "W-What? Steven, what are you talking about?!" Amethyst cried out._

 _Garnet grit her teeth. "We don't like you, Amethyst!" she screamed, startling Amethyst as she took a step back. "You are a disgrace to Gemkind! You were born an evil, sadistic monster and you always will be!"_

 _Amethyst shook her head slowly as tears left her eyes, dripping down her cheeks. "B-But I changed, you guys! You even said that yourselves!" she screamed out, her voice cracking._

" _Not everyone was cut out to be a Crystal Gem. You're lucky Rose gave you the benefit of the doubt." Pearl spat, crossing her arms._

" _B-But-"_

" _Amethyst, we_ _ **hate you.**_ _" Steven shouted, silencing everyone as Amethyst fell to her knees. Sadness stabbed at her heart as more tears fell from her eyes, her vision blurry. Those words. Those words hurt. So much. And it hurt even more coming from Steven._

 _When Amethyst looked up, they were gone. She sobbed quietly, curling up in a ball as she wondered what to do. What do to with her life. With herself. Without Pearl, or Garnet, or even Steven, she was lost. Lost in an empty void and surrounded by her past._

" _Aww, poor little Amethyst." Mocked a voice coming from her shoulder._

 _Amethyst perked up, looking over as she saw a figure through her tearful eyes. "B-Bill?"_

 _Bill nodded. "It's such a shame you were stranded with people who you thought were your friends. Your family. Nobody truly cared for you in the beginning anyway, though, I'm afraid." Bill said in a fake sad tone, observing his nails._

" _T-This is all your fault…" she mumbled._

 _Bill let out a chuckle._ _"Oh, no, no, no, Purple._ _Did you not hear what I said, hm… a couple of seconds ago?" he asked, pulling out his stopwatch. He clicked his fingers, a hologram appearing out of his eye._

" _Nobody truly cared for you in the beginning anyway, I'm afraid."_

" _Nobody truly cared for you in the beginning anyway."_

" _Nobody truly cared for you in the beginning."_

" _Nobody truly cared for you."_

" _ **Nobody truly cared for you.**_ _"_

" _M-Make it stop!" Amethyst cried out, clenching her fists as she sobbed harder._

 _Bill nodded as the hologram disappeared. "Such a shame. A beautiful young Gem… abandoned by her only friends… A pity, really."_

 _Amethyst stared at the floor. "You think… You think I'm beautiful…?"_

 _Bill almost died resisting the urge to laugh. "Of course, my dear Amethyst. Your beautiful hair, perfectly toned skin, your luscious nice lips~" he cooed, floating up to her face as he placed his hand under her chin._

 _Amethyst blushed, looking into his eye._

" _All the unique ones truly do get shoved away, replaced by the 'better' stereotypes." Bill said, showing a look of sadness._

" _Y-Yeah…"_

 _Bill placed his arms behind his back. "You know, I was always called a freak. An abomination. Mother never really cared for me at all, really. It was always Tad Strange this, Tad Strange that. I had no friends." Bill said, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye._

" _Y-You were an outcast too?" Amethyst asked, sniffing._

 _Bill nodded. "Yes, until I met a rather peculiar young boy." He continued, clicking his fingers as he summoned a tissue, handing it to the Gem. "He always used to go out and explore the forests with me. He liked to write a lot too, you know. He was th owner of three journals he had written himself about the wonders in the wild." He chuckled. "He considered me as a friend."_

" _Bill has proven himself to be one of the friendliest and most trustworthy individuals that I've ever encountered in my life. What a guy! I honestly can't trust him more. Not evil in any way, Bill is a true gentleman."_

" _He was the only friend I had. And then I betrayed him." Bill said, releasing another chuckle before realising what he had just said, his eye widening. "I… I betrayed the only friend I had." He said, sitting down next to Amethyst, who had been listening with all ears as she frowned at his story._

" _I-I'm sorry, Purple. I-I need to go." He said, snapping his figners as he vanished._

?!

Amethyst awoke with a scream, sweating intensely as she stared at the ceiling.

She was still in the temple. In her room. _It was just a nightmare._ She thought. But it felt so real… and Bill was there… did he truly think that of her?

Amethyst stared at the ceiling, now knowing why Pearl and Garnet have ever refused to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4 - Friends

**For starters, I want to apologise for keeping everybody waiting. It's been… far too long for my liking, and I'm so so sorry. My computer had broken down, and once I had finally gotten it fixed, I was suffering from emotional things. Break ups, n' stuff. After getting over my depression, I developed a writer's block. It's been difficult to continue the story, especially with the new elements in** _ **Steven Universe**_ **such as the Peridot arc that's currently happening. I've tried my best to shift things around, though!**

 **On a side note; an extremely talented YouTuber known as 'Madaya Wheeler' has been reading my work, along with the work of others, and has been posting her dubs on her channel. Please, subscribe to her and show her some love! Her impersonations are superb~! channel/UC7VZfKpwvzjtGZ6T8OtJMsw**

 **And now, without further ado, I present to you:**

 _ **The Gem in His Eye – Chapter IV**_

"Well, this is just perfect!"

Bill rolled his eye as he sat on a broken Warp Pad. He had gotten used to these temper tantrums.

Peridot paced up and down the gray-scaled Galaxy Warp. "I can't wait until my next attempt to try and leave this cruddy planet! Oh, wait, those _clods_ are just going to show up and RUIN EVERYTHING!" She screamed as loud as she could, her fingers stressfully pulling her hair.

Bill crossed his arms as he floated up next to her. "Relax, Peridoodle. Nobody gets what they want straight away."

Peridot grit her teeth. "It's _'Peridot'_ , thank you very much."

"Sure, Peridork."

Peridot groaned. "Ugh, why can't you just… just… zap the warp back together?! What about my Flask Robonoids?! You fixed them ages ago! But now they're all, coincidentally I may add, broken?!" she yelled, her fingers floating up in front of the dream demon and poking him rather forcefully.

"Listen, Touchscreen, the only reason I haven't oh so magically fixed your precious transportation device is because I _cannot_ interfere with your world. I'm _stuck_ between your world and mine, which is why I need your help in getting me here." He said, his eye glaring at her fingers as his cane appeared in the palm of his hand, gently swiping the floating digits away from him as they returned to their owner.

Peridot remained silent as she processed the sentence, the Gem crossing her arms as she returned the glare. "If you are unable to interfere with my dimension, then is it you managed to fix my Robonoids?"

Bill would have pinched the bridge of his nose if he had one. "Have you noticed how none of your machines provided any use whatsoever? How they all broke in less than twenty-four hours? If I, say, managed to fix the… 'Homeworld Warp', then it would simply return to its collapsed state in mere seconds. It provides too much of a direct use to sustain a change so heavily influenced by a being in the Mindscape."

Peridot mumbled something inaudible, as her green eyes returned their gaze on the triangular entity, opening her mouth to reply. Before any words came out, however, Bill immediately interrupted.

"But I'm afraid I have to go, for now. I have a play date with Shining Star, and if I'm going to aid you in your little quest, then I'm going to need to gather some more information." He said, a rather bored and uninterested tone present in his voice. "Welp, I'll see 'ya on the flip side, Touchscreen!"

?!

Peridot's eyes opened as the world had regained its color once more. She sighed to herself.

"That thing gets stranger after every encounter."

?!

Steven sat outside his house. Garnet and Pearl were currently on a mission, and it had surprised him that Amethyst hadn't joined them. She was always the Gem who was most up for a mission, and if a Gem had to stay behind, it was usually Pearl. Something strange was going on, especially since he hadn't seen Amethyst emerge from her room in what seemed like days.

"Lion, do you know where Amethyst is?" the young boy asked, the pink mammal laying next to him his closed, resting eyes.

A quiet roar was all he got in response, Lion not even bothering to open his eyes. Steven frowned.

"Well, I'm gonna go find her. If you get hungry, then there are some Lion Lickers in the fridge! Just… try not to break it like last time!" he said, giving his pet a soft pat on the head as he rushed off to the temple. The hybrid approached the temple door, staring up at it confidently as a pink gemstone present on the top point of a star began to glow, the door immediately opened as Steven stepped into the cloudy, soft room as the door closed behind him.

"Room, I need to find Amethyst! I-I haven't seen her in a while, and I'm starting a worry." He mused.

A selection of fluffy pink clouds in the horizon moved away from each other, showing a door embodied with purple amethyst shards. It was clearly the entrance to her room.

"Thank you!" the boy said as he made his way towards it.

?!

Amethyst stared at the floor. She hadn't seen natural sunlight in three days, and wasn't planning on leaving the comfort of her room anytime soon after the nightmare she had.

 _But /was/ it a nightmare, though?_ she asked herself. _It felt too… too real. It was like Bill had visited her… Was it a vision? A memory that she had somehow forgotten?_ she hugged her knees as she let out a sigh.

"Amethyst?" called out a voice.

The Gem in question immediately perked up. Steven? How had he gotten in here?!

" _Amethyst, we_ _ **hate**_ _you."_

She cringed at the memory.

"Amethyst?" the voice grew louder. "Amethyst?! Ame-" Steven's brown eyes spotted the small Gem crouched in a corner, a gasp escaping his mouth. "Amethyst!"

Amethyst didn't know what to say. Things had been… slow, since the recent mishap with Sardonyx. She knew Steven hadn't been involved, but she honestly wanted some alone time. She didn't want to talk to Garnet. Or Pearl. Or Steven.

 _But what about Bill?_

"H-Hey, Stee-man." She replied, almost choking on her own words. She inwardly cringed.

"Oh my gosh, I've been so worried!" he said, tears forming at the corners of his eyes as he enveloped her in a warm hug, a small smile placed on her lips.

"Worried? 'Bout me? Nah, I've just been," she paused, trying to rapidly rack up any possible excuses. "uh, collecting some more junk."

Steven frowned slightly. "Amethyst, Garnet and Pearl need you on missions! If you wanted some more things to keep in your room, you could just ask Dad if he has any spare things in the van! Just, please… Don't scare me! I thought something horrible had happened." He mumbled, his embrace growing tighter as he buried his face in between her neck. She wrapped an arm around him and pulled him closer, though she didn't bother replying.

 _I need to talk to Bill again._

 _?!_

Steven's day was much better now that he had been reassured of Amethyst's safety. He had offered her a trip to the Big Donut, but she had refused. He didn't want to push her any further, just in case she _was_ going through some emotional problems. Sometimes, he knew it was better not to ask people if they wanted to talk about it. He knew she had a lot of guilt about her past involvement with the Kindergarten, and while he still didn't understand much about the entire concept of it, he did understand that it was extremely scarring for her.

"Hey Lars! Hey Sadie!" He greeted happily as he pushed open the doors to the Big Donut.

"Hey, Steven," replied Sadie. "haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?"

Steven nodded with a smile. "I've been good! I met a new friend the other day. He's pretty cool, but the Gems don't like him."

"The Gems, huh?" Lars asked, his eyes buried in the magazine he was reading. "Is this new guy some magical creature that your moms know?" he asked with a teasing smirk, though it soon faded as Sadie gently elbowed him.

Steven didn't seem phased by his cockiness. "Uh… maybe? We're not too sure what exactly he is yet." He replied with a shrug.

Sadie leaned in with a smile. "He sounds interesting. So, what can we get you?"

Steven's eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah!" he exclaimed, his hands digging into his jean's pockets as he pulled out a couple of dollars. "A baker's dozen, please. Of the nice, chocolate ones! I'm gonna be meeting up with my Dad and Connie soon."

Sadie nodded gently. "That'll be five thirty." She said, as Steven immediately handed her the money. "Uh, Steven? You've given me ten dollars." She stated with a slight chuckle.

Steven nodded. "Yeah! I figure that, since I haven't been here in a while, I can pay you extra! You can keep the change!"

Sadie smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Steven. Greg and the Gems sure have raised you right."

?!

Open exiting the Big Donut, the young boy hummed to himself as he made his way back to the temple. He knew that Amethyst had declined his offer to come with him, but he wanted to give her some of the donuts regardless. Steven grabbed one of the donuts and stared at it, eager eyes present as he stared at the chocolate coating.

"Mm, you look delicious!" he stated.

"Why thank you, Shining Star!"

Steven gasped as his eyes lit up. "Bill!" he exclaimed happily.

The world once again returned to gray, the yellow dream demon materialising in front of the young boy. He was… stuck between two pancakes?

"Man, the guys at home said I'm tasty, but hearing it from you all but confirms it!" Bill said in a cheery voice. With the snap of his fingers, the pancakes suddenly decreased in size as the triangle shifted them into another chocolate donut, handing it to Steven with care.

"Here, have another one! A lil' gift from a friend, haha!"

Steve smiled as he placed the two donuts back into the bag. "Wow, thanks, Bill!"

"Hah, don't mention it, kid!" He replied, ruffling the hybrid's hair softly.

"So, what brings you here?" Steven asked. In almost an instant, all funny and cheery aspects of Bill's character washed away, a complete stoic and serious expression plastered on his face.

"We need to talk."

?!

"So, a 'Kindergarten' is where… _Gems_ are made, by sucking the life source out of the planet it was made on."

Steven nodded. "I don't really understand all of it that well, but that seems to be the basics!"

Bill returned the nod. "I see. And Purple was _definitely_ made in one?"

"Yeah, but you shouldn't really mention it to her. She feels really bad about it."

 _Whoops,_ Bill thought.

A silence remained between the two for what seemed like forever. For one reason or another, however, it wasn't awkward. It felt as if it was needed; and it was. Steven appreciated it, and he didn't know why.

"Hey," Steven began, cutting off the silence as Bill's eye met the young boy's. "Wanna go give Amethyst these doughnuts? I want the Gems to like you just as much as I do, and Amethyst loves doughnuts, so I'm sure she'll appreciate it if you gave her some!" he finished, a happy smile formed at his lips. Bill didn't reply; but he seemed to have considered the offer.

"Sorry, Shining Star, but I have to go. Got places to be, y'know?" Bill responded, crossing his arms. Steven frowned.

And Bill felt… bad?

' _What?'_

"B-But, hey, give her these." He quickly added, snapping his fingers as a bag full of doughnuts appeared next to Steven, with what seemed like a note on it. "Can't really interact with the physical world that much, but hey, what can 'ya do?"

Steven nodded happily, his frown now once again his trademark grin.

Bill left with content.

?!

Night set over Beach City. The waves got wilder, but the atmosphere was nonetheless that of a much calmer one. Bill stared at the temple from afar, watching as the lights coming from the few windows slowly vanished. Bill let out a sigh as he began to make his way to where he had started spending his nights.

?!

Peridot cringed at the crumbling walls of the Kindergarten. _'It's been so poorly managed,"_ she thought to herself. The technician walked to the elevator heading towards Facet Five, the loud, metallic stomping of her limb enhancers echoing throughout the abandoned Kindergarten. The elevator blinked a bright green, as it began to lower. Peridot gave one final glance back; specifically at the Warp Pad leading there.

Content with no signs of the Crystal Gems, Peridot's fingers formed her holographic touchscreen as she cleared her throat. "Log Date: 884," she began. "This is Peridot, updating status. Still no signs of a response from Homeworld. Japser and Lazuli's whereabouts continue to remain unknown, and my mutual hatred towards the Crystal Clods has forced me to make a begrudging alliance with an entity known as the 'Bill'. Information involving him is called for, though unfortunately lacking. I just want to get off this cruddy planet…"

Peridot sighed to herself as the elevator reached the floor. "End log." She finished. The Gem stepped off the platform as she slumped down against the cold walls of Facet Five. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the columns attached to the ceiling containing the Gem experiments had cracked.

' _The prototypes have already started emerging. It won't be long until the Cluster hatches…'_

Peridot hugged her knees as she lowered her head with another heavy sigh. Where was Yellow Diamond? Had she chosen to ignore her? She was just a Peridot, after all. Replaceable.

"Awh, Touchscreen, what's gotcha so down?"

Peridot clenched her eyes shut. "I want to go home."

Bill's eye stared at the slumped Gem. The dream demon slowly floated down next to her. He remained silent.

"I hate this place. I hate not being back on Homeworld. I'm going to die here. I'm constantly on the run from a group who want to hunt me down. I'm in constant danger, and if Yellow Diamond doesn't send help, then I'm going to end up getting shattered." She practically whispered, fighting back tears. _'Don't. Be. Weak. Homeworld would crush you if they saw weakness.'_

Bill stared at the ceiling. "I'm sure you'll get home soon, Periwrinkle. Just gotta play the waiting game, is all. I've been doing that for one trillion years."

Peridot shifted in her spot. Her position became a slightly more comfortable one.

"I just… want to go home…"

"I know. And we made a deal, so I'm gonna help you. Life isn't easy, and it surely isn't fair. But you can't let it get the best of you; no matter how much it's bringing you down. Because if you give up, then what were you fighting for?"

Peridot didn't speak a word. She didn't even look at the triangular demon. But Bill understood.

"Now get some sleep," he spoke, lifting himself back into the air as he placed his hands on his hips. "I know you rocks don't need it, but there's nothing wrong in feeling refreshed in the morning."

Peridot muttered something under her breath, but nonetheless agreed as she began to change position. It was rare that her and Bill had conversations like these, but deep down she saw it as a welcomed surprise.

"'Night, Bill."

"Goodnight, Touchscreen."


	5. Chapter 5 - Deals

_**The Gem in His Eye – Chapter V**_

Peridot awoke with a groan. The Gem hadn't accustomed to the concept of sleep that well yet. Peridot stretched her arms out of instinct, hearing a few of her bones click; though it was oddly satisfying. Her digits floated up to her face, two of the detached fingers readjusting her green tinted visor. She squinted slightly, before shaking her head as she picked herself off of the ground.

"Bill?" she asked. The triangular demon was no where to be seen, and was definitely not currently with her as she took into account the faint greenish hue of Facet Five's walls.

The technician stood still for minutes. She sighed to herself, the realisation kicking in as she concluded that he wasn't returning.

' _Guess I'll just keep_ myself _company, then.'_

 _?!_

* _Knock, knock*_

Amethyst's eyes opened in an instant. The Gem scrambled to her feet, pushing her hair out of her eyes, though it immediately fell back to its previous position.

"Y-Yeah?" she asked, her voice cracking once more. She clenched her fist and cursed to herself under her breath, her eyes squeezed shut out of the cringeworthy feeling pumping through her veins at the time.

"Amethyst? Oh, Amethyst… We've been so worried! What are you doing?!"

Amethyst opened her eyes, rolling them slightly. _It was Pearl._

"Didn't Steven tell you?! I've been collecting more junk, now get off my back!"

Pearl recoiled, though the chunkier Gem couldn't see. A frown was placed upon Pearl's lips, her hand pressing against the temple's door. Without Amethyst's gemstone, she couldn't access her room; and without Steven's gemstone, she couldn't simply use his, or rather, Rose's room as an alternative.

"Amethyst…" the petite Gem started, inhaling sharply. "I… know, that I've… disappointed a lot of you ever since my latest mishap with Garnet." She finished, though she clearly had more to say. Amethyst kept quiet.

"B-But, everything's better now!"

 _Her voice sounded weak._

"Garnet and I are back on good terms, and we haven't heard from you in days, Amethyst…"

The Gem in question slumped down against a pile of her collected items, arms crossed against her chest.

"But I'm worried about you, Amethyst."

Amethyst's eyes widened slightly.

"And I miss you…"

?!

"Uh-huh, and he seems pretty cool!"

"Uh, I don't know, Steven…" Connie's voice called via the young boy's smartphone. "He seems dangerous. Aren't you scared?"

Steven scoffed, laughing lightly. "Scared? Of Bill? Connie, he gave me extra cookies, like, two days ago! Well, it was yesterday, but still! Just 'cause the Gems think he's weird, doesn't mean he's necessarily mean! They thought that about Lapis, and she was just homesick!"

Connie pursed her lips, clicking her tongue as she took in the details of the hybrid's story.

"Maybe… I wouldn't trust him, though. He _does_ seem weird…"

Steven shrugged to himself. "I guess. But he's a triangle! And some of my favorite chips are triangles!"

The two shared a laugh, before a short silence hung in the air.

"Oh! Man, I almost forgot!" Steven began, gaining his friend's attention.

"What is it?"

"Dad and I are gonna go to this new store that's opened in Beach City! It's got everything! Water pistols, food, books, lots of stuff! You should come with us!"

Connie smiled gently. "That sounds like fun. What time are you going?"

Steven gasped. "Oh, no! I forgot to ask Dad what time it was!" he yelled dramatically, falling to his knees as he raised his fists in the air. "Curse you, forgetfulness!"

Connie stifled a small laugh. "Steven, it's fine. Just ask your dad what time you're going, and message me back."

"Oh, yeah! Good idea, Connie! I'll be sure to message you what time we're going! I'll, uh, I'll try and sort it out soon so you can arrange something with your parents!"

"Okay, Steven. I'll see you then." She said, the boy able to sense her smile even across the phone.

"O-Okay, see you later, Connie!" he replied, hanging up shortly afterwards.

"That was awfully cute, Shining Star! That your girlfriend?" a voice rang from behind the hybrid, startling him. Steven became much more relaxed after seeing the owner of the voice, sighing gratefully. The boy nonetheless blushed at the demon's question.

"Oh, hey Bill! Oh, u-uh, n-no, she's not my… she's not my girlfriend," he replied, giving a nervous laughter as he began to sweat nervously. "So, uh, w-what brings you here?" he asked rather quickly, making sure to change the subject before the triangular entity had time to ask more questions.

Bill took the hint, and although he would have loved to tease him, the demon decided to drop the subject as he floated down onto the couch.

"Oh, me? Just checkin' up on my favorite super star, that's all!" he replied cheerfully, his left arm extending to wrap around Steven's shoulder, soon after pulling the boy towards him.

"Although I couldn't help but noticed you mentioned… _Lapis_ , was it?" he asked, his single eye focusing on the boy's reaction.

Steven nodded slowly, a small smile on his face. "Lapis? Yeah, she's another Gem. She was trapped in a mirror but then I set her free! All she wanted to do was get back to her home, but she couldn't because her gem was cracked."

Bill nodded accordingly. "Right, and you said that their gemstone cracking was bad, correct?"

Steven returned the nod. "Yeah, but I managed to fix it!"

Bill stiffened. His expression became that of a much more interested one, the yellow triangle leaning in slightly. "How did you fix it…?"

"Oh, her gem? My mom had magic tears that could heal things, and I guess that since I have her gem now, that I have those powers as well; only I have healing _spit_!" he answered, extremely proud of his abilities as he licked his hand.

Bill narrowed his eye. "Healing powers, huh? Well, looks like I gotta go, kid! It's been fun! I'll be sure to catch up later, alright?"

Steven nodded. "Oh, okay! I'll see you later then, Bill! Have a nice day!"

Bill crinkled his eye to form a smile, tipping his hat. "Yeah, yeah, you have nice nightmares too, kid!"

Steven watched the demon disappear in a flash of light, the young boy awakening soon after.

?!

Peridot trailed a finger down the side of one of the many disabled and non-functional injectors from the Kindergarten, cringing in disgust as she saw her digit pick up dust.

"Ugh. Disgusting…"

The Gem took a step back as she witnessed the injector's already dull color completely vanish, the rest of the Kindergarten soon following suit as she eyed the greyscale filter. The technician turned her back, her eyes focusing on the being behind the sudden change.

Bill stood still in mid-air, his expression a serious one as he eyed the green Gem.

"Listen, _Peridot_. I've got some information for you in exchange for something." He spoke, his voice stern as his gaze never lifted. The demon's arm extended, his hand catching alight as blue flames danced.

"What do you say?"

?!

Steven yawned loudly as Greg drove the van back to the beach house.

"Today was fun." He said, rubbing his eyes as he let out another yawn. Connie sat beside him, rolling her eyes but nonetheless smiling as she nodded.

"Yeah! I got this this shiny new tennis racket, too!" she said, her grip tightening on the handle as she swung it across the van, accidentally hitting on the old seats and tearing a small hole across it.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry Mr. Universe!" she quickly apologised, her hands covering her mouth as the two children stared at the newly created hole.

Greg gave a weak laughter, too exhausted to chuckle properly. "It's fine, Connie. Don't be sorry. This ol' baby's been breaking down for years. I'm sure she'll be able to handle a tiny tear. I'll fix it up in no time." He said, hands loosely on the steering wheel. "Plus, I'll get to try out these new CDs I got at the store! Man, I'm surprised they still _sell_ these!"

Steven smiled. "And I'll get to see if this dream catcher works! Pearl will love the blue feathers on it!"

Connie eyed the object carefully, resisting the urge to run her fingers across it. "Why did you get that, again?"

Steven's smile was soon replaced by a frown, as he stared at the dream catcher with saddened eyes. "Amethyst said that she's been having some bad dreams lately, and apparently this will stop the bad dreams from getting to her." He said, his smile now returning; albeit much weaker than before.

Connie smiled gently. He was such a caring person, and the young girl didn't have the heart to tell him that dream catchers were just hoaxes. But then again, she was sat next to the offspring of a human and a fully sentient rock from far beyond the cosmos, so the possibility of dream catchers actually working may not be so slim after all.

The trio arrived back in Beach City, the van taking its stop as it reached the beach house.

"Ah, shoot! I completely forgot that you don't live in Beach City, Connie! Augh, haven't got my head set on properly today."

Connie smiled regardless. "It's okay, Mr. Universe. I kinda forgot to remind you, and I suppose I was too tired to notice that we were going the wrong way." She said, looking next to her to find a still somewhat awake Steven. "Uh, Steven?"

The young boy perked up, his eyes snapping open. "GAH! Yes, what, where?"

Greg let out a chuckle. "You look pretty tired, Sctnoo-ball. Might as well get you to bed while we're here."

"W-Wha-? Are you sure…? I mean, I don't want to leave Conni-"

"Steven, it's fine." Connie said with a smile. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine, you get your sleep."

Steven frowned, but nodded regardless. "If you say so…"

Greg ruffled his son's hair. "Go on, kiddo. I'll see you in the morning."

"O-Okay. Goodnight Dad, 'night Connie!" he waved, making his way back to the house.

?!

Steven finished brushing his teeth, stretching slightly as he ran up to his bed, diving in beneath the covers as he wrapped himself up in the cozy warmth. It felt so nice to just stretch and cuddle up. The young boy glanced at his collection of plushies.

"Goodnight, Happy Bear. Goodnight, Sad Bunny. Goodnight, Playful Kitty. Goodnight, ominous triangle at the foot of my bed."

Steven spared the triangular shadow a second glance as he closed his eyes. The hybrid heard an echoed laughter as he quickly opened his eyes. He raised an eyebrow as he noticed the triangle had disappeared. Just a result of his tiredness, he concluded.

"Ugh. Whatever…"

He mumbled, closing his eyes once more as he snuggled up closer to his covers.

Before an arm suddenly wrapped around his mouth, preventing him from screaming as his eyes opened, his pupils dilating as the boy squirmed in his spot.

?!

The Warp Pad activated as Peridot, Steven and Bill arrived at the Galaxy Warp, the latter watching from the Mindscape as Peridot struggled to keep balance with only one foot, Steven still squirming in her grasp.

"Gargh, let me go!" he yelled, before the two inevitably fell to the ground. Peridot winced at the impact, watching the young boy get to his knees. Before he could make a run for it, however, the technician caught him in her tractor beam, enveloping him in a light green bubble as he was completely immobilised. Bill examined her actions carefully with hands before his back.

"Enough of this!" the green Gem shouted, narrowing her eyes as she levitated him up in the air, making their way to the broken Warp Pad leading back to Homeworld. Peridot let out a sigh.

Steven's attempts at moving were proved futile, a terrified expression plastered on his face. "W-What do you want from me?!"

Peridot stopped in her tracks as she reached the now organised but nonetheless non-functional Homeworld Warp. "I _want_ to get off this lousy Gem forsaken planet!" she yelled, disabling her tractor beam as Steven fell to the ground with a grunt.

The green Gem rearranged her floating digits to form two arrows pointing downwards towards the Warp Pad, a pained and desperate look on her face. "You have to fix this!"

Steven's scared expression shifted to a much more confused one. "Wait, what?"

Peridot was getting impatient. "You're my last chance… I've got no Flask Robonoids. I've got no _foot!_ " she exclaimed, redirecting her fingers to her footless left leg. The green Gem almost fell to the floor in defeat. " _I've got no response from Yellow Diamond!_ " she concluded, her fingers are crazed mess as she inhaled sharply and exhaled shortly afterwards, trying to remain her calm posture as her fingers rearranged back to their default position.

Peridot grit her teeth. "I know you fixed Lazuli's gem." She muttered, exchanging glances with Bill, who remained a spectator and currently invisible to Steven. "Whatever you did, you've _got_ to do it to the Homeworld Warp!" she demanded, her fingers forming her blaster as she charged up a green ball of energy. _"Or else!_ "

Steven scampered to his feet, sweat nervously dripping down his cheeks as the terrified expression returned. "O-Okay, j-just give me a second! My mouth gets really dry when I'm scared..." he said, bringing his left hand up to his mouth as he licked his palm. "H-Here goes!" he announced as he stuck his wet palm against a crack on the Warp Pad.

Nothing happened.

Peridot glanced around, her eyes focusing on Bill, who simply shrugged, before landing back on the Warp Pad. "What was that? It didn't do _anything!"_

Steven forced a sympathetic smile. "I-I'm really sorry…"

Peridot's eye twitched, the green Gem starting to laugh manically as she soon broke down in tears, falling to the ground as she hugged her legs. "This was it… This was my last shot!" she cried, her eyes widening as the sudden realisation kicked in. "I'm going to die here…! Nooo-oo-oo…" she sobbed, her head down in defeat.

Steven felt pity, his expression that of a concerned one as he crawled a few steps towards her. "Hey, hey- c'mon! Earth isn't _that_ bad!" he said sheepishly, shrugging lightly as he attempted to comfort her.

Peridot glared at him. "It doesn't matter what Earth is like!" she yelled, her fingers running through her crazed hair. "It's not going to be like _anything_ soon!" she exclaimed, her teeth slowly biting down on one of her digits.

Steven recoiled. "What do you mean?"

Before the Gem was able to give a proper explanation, one of the Warp Pads activated. Peridot immediately grimaced at the thought of the Crystal Gems appearing, mumbling in disgust as she got up to leave.

"There he is!" Pearl exclaimed, the three Gems running up to Steven, the petite Gem wrapping her arms around the young boy as her embrace went tighter.

"Guys!" Steven replied happily.

Amethyst and Garnet soon caught up, the former crouching down and gasping in relief.

"You're okay!" she said, her smile widening as Pearl looked him in the eyes.

"What happened?!"

Garnet scoffed as she grit her teeth. " _Peridot._ "

The Gem in question froze in her tracks, turning around to face them as she squeezed her eyes shut. " _Why can't you just leave me alone?!"_ she yelled, as Bill looked at his partner with worry, not knowing what to do. There were too many different alternatives, and immediately showing up was currently not such a great idea.

Garnet summoned her gauntlets as she cracked her knuckles, Pearl and Amethyst joining her side shortly with their respective spear and whip.

"Gems, _move!_ "

Peridot groaned as she formed her blaster, charging up various shots as she fired them one after another at the trio. The Crystal Gems easily avoided them, jumping out of the way as the three went separate directions.

Bill clenched his fists as he floated down to Peridot's eye level. "Tag me in! _Tag me in!"_

The Crystal Gems stopped in their tracks as Peridot fell to her knees. Before anybody could say anything, the technician immediately raised back up, her once green eyes now a bright yellow with slit black pupils.

"Hahahaha! Man, oh man, it's good to have a vessel again!" Bill exclaimed within Peridot's body, laughing manically as he wiggled the floating fingers with interest.

Steven looked on in in a mix of confusion and surprise, Amethyst stiffened. "Bill?!"

Pearl gasped, her eyes widening as she took a step back. "He's _possessing Peridot?!"_

Garnet remained unfazed. "He's revealed himself! We can take them both out at once! _Move!"_ she commanded, as the three took charge towards him.

Bill looked on in worry as he tried to rack up an idea. He fiddled around with the floating digits, forming Peridot's blaster as he attempted to charge up several balls of energy; though his lack of knowledge was clear as he ended up forming an oversized energy ball, firing it not that far from infront of him as the recoil forced him onto his back. Pearl narrowly avoided the large explosion, steam now emitting from the scorched spot on the crystalline floor.

Bill immediately scampered back to his foot, wobbling slightly as he tried to remain balanced. Floating away was an inability in this form, so he did the next best thing. Following the steps he saw Peridot perform various times before, Bill spun his fingers fast enough to force a helicopter blade, the force strong enough to lift him off of the ground as he attempted to make his escape. His attempt was ruined, however, as he witnessed Amethyst wrap her whip around his waist, preventing him from flying any further.

Bill began to grow anxious, his mind failing to come up with a variable of solutions.

"You meatsacks are _hopeless!_ " he yelled, his body producing an electrical current that transferred to the whip, running down the bridge of it as it began to reach the purple Gem. Before the electricity could even finished traversing the whip, Garnet suddenly grabbed two ends of it as she blocked the path, the fusion smirking triumphantly.

"Not this time!" she added, using her electrokinesis to form her own electrical current, sending the electricity up the whip and towards Peridot. Before Bill could react, the electricity shocked his body as he grit his teeth in pain, letting out a short scream as Garnet's grip on the whip tightened, jerking the whip downwards, sending Bill crashing towards the ground. The electrical current as well as the impact of the harsh landing was enough to force Bill to exit Peridot's body as he was sent spiralling back into the Mindscape, the green Gem now hosting her own body again. Steven appeared to gasp in concern.

Peridot picked herself off of the ground, the sharp pain from the impact along with the dust particles causing her to cough and wheeze, her green eyes narrowing as she saw Garnet approach her.

"Wait, wait…!" she commanded, as Garnet halted, glaring at her. "You- You need me!" she yelled, once again forming her blast.

The technician spotted Pearl sneak up behind her in the corner of her eye. Peridot turned around to witness Pearl summoning her spear, as she green Gem took action. "I'm the only one who knows about the-"

Garnet noticed Peridot's blaster aim directly at Pearl's gem, and with an immediate reaction, the fusion quickly grabbed Peridot's waist with her gauntlets and squeezing her tightly, enough to force Peridot to retreat to her gemstone in a puff of green smoke.

Bill's eye widened as he saw his partner's physical form disappear, his arms shaking.

All four of Peridot's limb enhancers fell to the ground with a clank, the metal crashing against the floor as all ten of her fingers rolled away.

Pearl stared at the attachments with pure shock on her face. "What on Earth-?"

Amethyst cringed, her tongue sticking out in disgust. "Ugh, sick. There's bits of her all over."

"Nope," replied Garnet. "She's right here." She said, opening her palm to reveal the green gemstone, before encasing it in a red bubble and lightly tapping it, watching it disappear. "And now she's in the temple."

Pearl bent over, picking up some of the limb enhancers as she began to inspect them. "So, these weren't actually part of her body?"

Amethyst scooped the remaining pieces off of the ground as she snatched the rest from Pearl, much to the latter's annoyance, as the purple Gem walked up to the edge of the Galaxy Warp and threw them into the water. "Whoops."

Steven frowned at the events that had just taken place. "Garnet, she was trying to tell us something…"

Garnet placed her hands on her hips. "Those were just the desperate lies of a Gem who's been caught. You don't need to worry about _her_ anymore." She finished, making her way back to the Warp Pad.

Pearl placed her hands on the young boy's shoulders, pushing him gently after Garnet. "Come on, Steven." She said, ignoring the saddened look on the hybrid's face. "Oh, I'm so glad this is over."

?!

Bill stood frozen in his spot, taking in what just happened. They had essentially killed his partner.

' _This isn't good.'_


End file.
